Lift cover for cooking tops



Aug. 20, 1940. s. H. HOBSON 2,212,022

LIFT COVER FOR COOKING TOPS Filed Feb. 16, 1939 Patented Aug. 20, 1940UNITED STATES Price PATENT LIFT COVER FOR G'OOKING TOPS ApplicationFebruary 16, 1939, Serial No. 256,655 I 15 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and improved lift cover for the cookingtops of gas ranges and the like,

One of the principal objects of my invention is to provide a lift coverhaving self-contained counter-balancing spring means and also anadjustable stop for limiting the pivotal movement when the cover reachesa desired vertical position.

Another important object is the provision of a lift cover of sheet metalconstruction incorporating therein as part of the hinge means and forreinforcement of the hinge end of the lid a full length castingcooperating with cast hinge leaves adapted to be secured to the body ofthe range, the design being such that there is a minimum exposure of thecast parts outside of the lift cover and the cooking top, whereby theappearance of the cover and rangev as a whole is materially improved.

Still another object lies in the special formation and elongation of thehinge leaves which attach to the body of the range, so that there is nointerference with other parts of the range equipment which extendthrough the rear wall of the burner box compartment where these leavesare adapted to be fastened, and so that the leaves have sufficientlength of bearing contact with the sheet metal back wall to eliminatebuckling of the back wall under the strain imposed thereon when thecover is raised and lowered.

A further object consists in further forming the leaves to permitquickly detaching and withdrawing the same from the range so that thecover may be removed without disassembling the hinges therefor,

It is also an important object of my invention to so construct the twosheet metal panels form- 40' ing the cover that they interfit at one endand are adapted to be secured together at the other end by smallunnoticeable screws entered in registering holes in the end flanges onsaid panels, the

inner one of the panels being further specially formed at the same endwhere the screws are entered whereby to receive the full length hingecasting in a recess in the panel so that two bolts are suflicient tofasten the casting to the panel, the heads of said bolts being in theoutside of the cover, but concealed when the cover is lowered, and beingfurthermore disposed in depressed portions of the inner panel so as notto be at all conspicuous when the cover is raised.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig.1 is a plan View of a portion of a gas range having lift covers for thecooking top made in accordance with my invention, one of said coversbeing shown lowered and the other raised, the lowered cover being brokenaway at one corner 5 to indicate one of the slots in the cooking topthrough which the hinge leaves project, the hingev leaf appearing insection.

Fig. 2 is a section on the brokenlineZ-Z of Fig. 1, on a larger scale,intermediate portions 10 of the range and cover being broken away topermit showing the parts on such an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 33 of Fig. 2, and Figs. 4 to '7 aresectional details on a still further enlarged scale taken onthecorrespondingly numbered lines'in Fig. 2.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding partsthroughout the views.

The range herein illustrated is of the well known low oven type havingthe cooking top 8 at approximately table height with the oven sectionstherebeneath. The present invention is concerned with lift covers 9 tobe hingedly mounted with respect to the cooking top 8 and adapted whenraised to expose cooking topburners like those shown at Ill, and whenlowered to conceal these burners so as to give the range a heater andmore attractive appearance. .II is a back rail at the rear of thecooking top,. and the covers 9 are preferably hinged for pivotalmovement relative to the cooking top in spaced relation to said backrail, and when raised will preferably occupy approximately verticalpositions substantially parallel to the back rail as indicated in Figs.1 and 3. While these lift covers have been especially designed for useon the type of gas ranges mentioned, it should, of course, be clear thatthe invention is not limited to use onthat particular type but may beused wherever such covers are of advantage, and the use is furthermorenot limited to gas ranges. I

Each lift cover 9, in accordance with my invention, has the body thereofof hollow, sheet metal construction for lightness and cheapness, thebody in each instance being formed by two nested dished panels l2 andI3, both porcelain enameled on the outside so that the'cover presents agood appearance raised or lowered. The outerpanel 13 has acircumferentially extending flange M, which is cut awayv attwo pointsonthe inner or hinged end of the cover, as indicated at [5, to receive theupper enlarged knuckle end portions I6 of hinge leaves 11, which arepivotally connected by pintles l 8 with companion knuckle por. tions I9on a generally U-shaped casting 20 that is fastened inside the inner endportion of the other panel [2 by bolts 2|. The flange [4 has anin-turned edge portion 22 along the outer end of the panel 13, and thisedge portion 22 enters an elongated recess 23 provided on the outer endof the panel I2 to hold the panels in nested relation without usingscrews or other fasteners, The recessing at 23 is just deep enough sothat the edge portion 22 comes flush with the rest of the edge portionof the panel l2. There is a circumferentially extending flange 24 on thepanel 52, which fits inside the circumferential flange I l of the panelit fairly closely, and two small screws 25 are entered through holesprovided therefor in the flange l4 and thread in registering holesprovided therefor in the flange 24. The screws 25 are at the innercorners of the cover, opposite the point of connection 22-23 justdescribed, so that the panels l2 and 83 are held together securelyalthough only two small screws are used. The fact that they are solocated and so small makes them unnoticeable. Any suitable padding orfilling 2t,- may be inserted between the panels at the time ofassembling the cover to tend to spread the panels apart resilientlysufficiently to insure keeping the edge portion 22 solidly engaged inthe recess 23 at all times. In that way there is avoided any likelihoodof play being developed between the panels they always swing together asa unit, like a one-piece cover. Ordinary corrugated paperboard has beenfound suitable for the purpose, and a single wad extending the width ofthe cover at a midpoint between the inner and outer ends gives thedesired result. The panel l2 has the flange 24 cut away in register withthe cut away portions l5 as appears in Fig. 2 to accommodate the knuckleportions it of the hinge leaves ll, and the panel is further cut away,as indicated at 21, to provide operating clearance for the knuckleportions Hi so that the cover can be swung downwardly to a horizontalposition substantially at right angles to the vertical plane of theknuckle portions It. The panel i2 is preferably formed with U-shapedembossed portions 28 of channel-shaped cross section defining thecut-out portions 2? whereby to reinforce the panel at those points.There are embossed corner portions 29 formed on the panel [2, whichproject sufiiciently from the inner face of the cover, as indicated inFig. 3, to serve as feet for support of the cover in spaced relation tothe cooking top when lowered.

The panel I2 is fairly deeply dished, leaving a marginal portion 30 ofsubstantially channel-- shaped cross section, one side of the channelbeing formed by the aforementioned circumferential flange 24. TheU-shaped hinge casting 20 previously mentioned is made to fit in thechannel-shaped portion 30 and, being thereby positioned with respect tothe panel I2 and the cover 9 as a whole, two bolts 2| are quitesuiiicient to fasten the casting in place. These bolts are enteredthrough holes 3| in recessed corner portions 32 of the panel 12 and passthrough tapered holes 33 in the corner portions of the casting 20. Lockwashers 34 and nuts 35 fit on the projecting ends of the bolts and whenthe bolts are tightened the casting is anchored securely in the cover.With the construction shown, there is no need for exact registration ofthe holes 3| with the holes 33, and assembling of the covers istherefore facilitated and there is no danger of chipping or cracking theporcelain enamel. The casting 20 is practically entirely concealedinside the cover, only small portions of the knuckles i9 thereon beingvisible only when the covers are raised.

The hinge leaves ll are likewise cast for economy in production and asindicated in Fig. 1 are of flattened cross section so as to have broaderengagement with the sheet metal back wall 38 of the range to which theyare adapted to be secured when extended downwardly through slots 3'5 inthe cooking top 8 into the burner box compartment 38. Bolts 39 used forfastening the upper edge portion of the back wall 36 to the angle irontop frame member it? are arranged to be entered through holes ll in theh nge leaves I! for fastening the same to the back wall. Nuts 42 arethreaded on the projecting ends of the bolts as shown. Other bolts 63used for fastening the flanged rear edge 44 of the burner box bottom 5?:to the back wall 36 are adapted to be loosened to leave enough spaceetween the flange i l and the nuts l6 to permit slipping the forkedlower ends of the hinge leaves ii in between, whereupon when the beltsare tightened the hinge leaves are fastened securely at their lowerends. The fact that the hinge leaves H are elongated to reach the fulldepth of the burner box compartment 38 permits such wide spacing of thebolts 39 and 43 used for fastening the hinge leaves to the sheet metalback wall 36 that there is no danger of the sheet metal wall bucklingunder the strain imposed thereon when the lift cover raised or lowered.Obviously too the abutment of the hinge leaves I! with the flanged rearedge 44 of the burner box bottom 4-5 makes f or much greater rigidity ofthese hinge members. The upper enlarged knuckle portions it haveprojecting annular bead portions 48 which cover up the slots 3'! in thecooking top, for good appearance. Thus the only portions of the hingesvisible when the covers are raised are the knuckle portions Hi. Inpassing it will be observed in Fig. 2 that the lower end portions 39 ofthe two leaves H are both offset in the same direction and to the sameextent relative to the upper end portions 5!]. That is to avoidinterference between the hinge leaves and certain parts of the rangeequipment in the burner box compartment 38. For example, as shown inFig, the back wall 36 has an'opening 5! provided therein through which aflexible pipe connection is adapted to be extended for connecting thegas supply manifold for the cooking top burners with the service pipe inthe kitchen, and by having the lower end of the adjacent leaf 5'! offsetas shown so as to extend along the of the opening instead of across it,there is no inter-- ference whatever with making the service connection.These offsets in the leaves i! do not interfere at all with the easyassembling and disassembling of the covers on the range; when the twonuts 12 fastening a related pair of hinge leaves H are removed and thelower bolts 43 are loosened, one can easily remove the cover by liftingthe same to withdraw the hinge leaves ll from the burner box compartmentthrough the slots 37, slight lateral movement being involved by reasonof the offsetting of the lower end. portions 39 with respect to theupper end portion 5|]. There is an obvious advantage in the presentconstruction over others in that one may remove a cover without havingto disassemble the hinges. Removal may be found necessary occasionallydue to damage of the covers in shipment or at the time of installation,due to carelessness or awkwardness in handling,

Each of the knuckle portions It provides a pair mounted on the rangeover the cooking top, and hinge means therefor including substantiallyof spaced knuckles 52 and 53 receiving therebetween a knuckle 54 of'oneof the knuckle portions l9 of the casting 2 0. The hinge pintle l 8 foreach hinge is extended through registering holes in knuckles 52-54 andthrough other registering holes in lugs 55 and 56 provided in laterallyspaced relation to and on opposite sides of the knuckle 54 on thecasting 26; Two coiled torsion springs El and 58 are mounted on thepintle on opposite sides of the knuckle portion l6 bearingat one end onthe knuckle portion and at the other on the casting 20 to urge the covernormally toward vertical position. Thus for example, as shown in Fig. 5,the spring 58 has the one end 59 engaged behind a lateral projection 68on the knuckle 53, and the same is true for the adjacent end of thespring 51 which cooperates with a lateral projection on the knuckle'52.The other ends 6! of the springs, for example the end 6! of the spring51 shown in Fig. 6, bear against the front of the casting 2i! inrecesses 62 provided therefor. The four springs, there being twoassociated with each of the hinges, serve to counter-balance the coverso that it cannot drop onto the cooking top and result in any damage orinjury, but as a matter of fact will remain stationary in practicallyany intermediate position to which it may happen to be moved. When thecover nears vertical position where its weight is mainly downwardly onthe pintles i8 and there is no lateral component, the springs 5'! and58, even though partially unwound under these conditions, exertsufiicient force to tend to swing the cover past dead center in thedirection of the back rail I l, and it is therefore necessary to providea stop to limit pivotal movement of the cover when in raised position.For that purpose I provide two set screws 63, one on each of theknuckles as of the casting 26, arranged to en gage lateral projections64 provided on the knuckles 52. One of these screws 63 is firstadpearance and the housewife has no difficulty in keeping the rangeclean.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding ofthe objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims havebeen drawn with a view to conveying all legitimate modifications andadaptations.

I claim:

1. In a range construction, the combination of a cooking top, a framemember therebeneath and in rigid relation thereto, a sheet metal burnerbox bottom in downwardly spaced relation to the frame member and havingan upwardly projecting rear flange, a vertical sheet metal back walladapted to be secured to said frame member and burner box bottom inrigid relation to the cooking top, bolts entered through the framememher and the upper edge portion of the back wall for securing the sametogether, other bolts entered through the back wall and the rear flangeon the burner box bottom for securing the same together, a lift coveradapted to be hingedly vertical attaching members entered through slotsprovided therefor in the cooking top adjacent the back wall, and engagedwith the inner side of the back wall and the inner side of the rearflange on the burner box bottom, and having.

openings provided therein in vertically spaced relation so that eachattaching member receives one of the first and one of the last mentionedbolts, whereby said'attaching members are rigidly secured to the rangeinrigid relation to the.

cooking top. g

2. A range construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein the upper endportions of said attaching members have annularly projecting portionsadjacent the cooking top to cover the slots provided therein. v

3. A range construction as set forth in claim 1 ed to the upper portionsby intermediate portions all extending in the same direction at an acuteangle to the vertical to permit passage thereof through the slots in thecooking top.

4. In combination with a range having a cooking top portion, acounterbalanced lift cover forv said cooking top portion comprising asheet metal body of generally rectangular form having a hol-. low edgeportion adapted to be hingedly connected to said cooking top .portion,and semi-concealed combination hinge and counterbalancing meanscomprising an elongated hinge member disposed inside the hollow edgeportion of said cover extending lengthwise thereof and providinglongitudinally'spaced knuckles thereon, other hinge members having meansfor detachably securing the same to the cooking top portion and havingend portions formed to provide knuckles adapted. to be pivotallyconnected with the knuckles on the first-mentioned hinge member insidethe hollow edge portion of the cover, pintle means pivotally connectingthe correlated knuckles, and one or more coiled torsion springs mountedwithinthe hollowedge portion of the cover on the pintle means, each,with one end acting against the first-mentioned hinge mem ber and'theother end acting against one of the other hinge members tending to urgethe cover to move upwardly.

5. A structure as set forth in claim 4, wherein one'of the hinge memberson the cooking top por- Y tion has a limiting stop projection providedon a knuckle thereof arranged to be engaged by a portion of the hingemember in the cover when the cover is raised to substantially verticalposition.

6. A structure as set forth in claim 4, wherein one of the hinge memberson the cooking top portion has a limiting stop projection provided on aknuckle thereof arranged to be engaged by a porhaving means fordetachably securing the same to the cooking top portion and having endportions formed to provide knuckles adapted to be pivotally connectedwith the knuckles on the firsti mentioned hinge member inside the hollowedge portion of the cover, and pintle means pivotally connecting thecorrelated knuckles.

8. A structure as set forth in claim '7, wherein one of the hingemembers on the cooking top 5 portion has a limiting stop projectionprovided on a knuckle thereof arranged to be engaged by a portion of thehinge member in the cover when the cover is raised to substantiallyvertical position.

9. A structure as set forth in claim '7, wherein one of the hingemembers on the cooking top portion has a limiting stop projectionprovided on a knuckle thereof arranged to be engaged by a portion of thehinge member in the cover when the cover is raised to substantiallyvertical position, and adjustable screw means on the lastmentioned hingemember adjustable toward and away from the stop projection when thecover is in raised position, whereby to adjust the position of the coverin its limit position relative to the cooking top portion.

10. A counterbalanced hinge structure for a liftable cover or the likecomprising an elongated substantially horizontal hinge member having apair of longitudinally spaced knuckles provided thereon, a pair'of otherhinge members each having an attaching portion and having an end portionformed to provide spaced knuckles adapted to receive therebetween one ofthe knuckles on the aforesaid hinge member, pintle means for pivotallyconnecting the correlated knuckles and one or more coiled torsionsprings mounted on the pintle means with one end abutting thefirstmentioned hinge member and the other end abutting a knuckle on oneof the other hinge members and tending normally to move thefirstmentioned hinge member in one direction.

11. A hinge structure as set forth in claim 10, including a stopprojection on one of the knuckles on one of the pair of hinge membersarranged to be engaged by a portion of the first-mentioned hinge memberin a limit position thereof to prevent further relative movement in onedirection.

12. A hinge structure as set forth in claim 10, including a stopprojection on one of the knuckles on one of the pair of hinge membersarranged to be engaged by a portion of the first-mentioned hinge memberin a limit position thereof to prevent further relative movement in onedirection, and adjustable screw means on said first-mentioned hingemember arranged to engage said stop projection to advance or retard thepoint at which the first-mentioned hinge member is stopped from furthermovement.

13. In combination with a range having a cooking top portion, acounterbalanced lift cover for said cooking top portion comprising asheet metal body of generally rectangular form having an edge portionadapted to be hingedly connected to said cooking top portion, andcombination hinge and counterbalancing means comprising an elongatedhinge member secured to the inner side of the edge portion of said coverextending lengthwise thereof and providing longitudinally spacedknuckles thereon, other hinge members having means for detachablysecuring the same to the cooking top portion and having end portionsformed to provide knuckles adapted to be pivotally connected with theknuckles on the first-menticnedhinge member, pintle means pivotallyconnecting the correlated knuckles, and one'or more coiled torsionsprings mounted on the pintle means each with one end acting against thefirstmentioned hinge member and the other end acting against one of theother hinge members tending to urge the cover to move upwardly.

16. A structure as set forth in claim 13, wherein one of the hingemembers on the cooking top portion has a limiting stop projectionprovided on a knuckle thereof arranged to be engaged by a portion of thehinge member on the cover when the cover is raised to substantiallyvertical position.

15. A structure as set forth in claim 13, wherein one of the hingemembers on the cooking top portion has a limiting stop projectionprovided on a knuckle thereof arranged to be engaged by a portion of thehinge member on the cover when the cover is raised to substantiallyvertical position, and adjustable screw means on the lastmentioned hingemember adjustable toward and away from the stop projection when thecover is in raised position, whereby to adjust the position of the coverin its limit position relative to the cooking top portion.

STANLEY H. HOBSON.

